UKRAINE PM ACCUSES RUSSIA OF SEEKING TO TRIGGER WWIII
Kiev, 27 Jumadil Akhir 1435/27 April 2014 (MINA) – Acting Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk has accused Russia of seeking to trigger a “Third World War.”
In a televised cabinet meeting on Friday, Yatsenyuk accused Moscow of attempting to occupy Ukraine “militarily and politically,” creating a conflict that would spread to the rest of Europe.
“The world hasn’t forgotten the Second World War and Russia wants to start a Third World War,” he added, according to Press TV report quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).
The Ukrainian official said Russia’s support for anti-Kiev protesters constitutes an international crime, calling for international community to unite against Moscow.
Meanwhile, Ukraine’s Defense Minister Mykhailo Koval says Russian troops conducting military exercises close to the Ukrainian border, came within one kilometer of the border but did not cross it, adding that Ukraine’s armed forces are ready to repel any aggression.
Interim authorities in Kiev said on Friday that army units have begun the second phase of an operation to drive out pro-Russia activists from the country’s eastern cities.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov denounced Kiev’s operations in the eastern Ukraine as a “bloody crime,” saying the Ukrainian government is waging a war on its own people.
He also accused the West of plotting to control Ukraine, saying, “The West wants — and this is how it all began — to seize control of Ukraine because of their own political ambitions, not in the interests of the Ukrainian people.”
Tensions between Moscow and the West heightened after Crimea declared independence from Ukraine and became part of the Russian Federation following a referendum on March 16.
Russian jets cross into Ukraine airspace
The war of words between the United States and Russia has heated up over Crimea and eastern Ukraine with US military officials now saying that Russian fighter jets crossed into Ukrainian airspace several times over the past 24 hours.
The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to journalists about the issue, said on Friday that the Russian jets could have been checking Ukrainian radar system or making a show of force against the country.
The Autonomous Republic of Crimea declared independence from Ukraine on March 17 and formally applied to become part of Russia following a referendum a day earlier, in which nearly 97 percent of the participants voted in favor of the move.
On March 21, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed into law the documents officially making Crimea part of the Russian territory. He said the move was carried out based on international law.
On April 17, Russia, Ukraine, the US and the European Union agreed over steps to “de-escalate” the crisis in eastern Ukraine, where anti-Kiev protesters seized buildings in several towns and cities.
But, Ukrainian authorities have ordered a military offensive against the protesters, claiming that Russian special forces are fueling unrest in the country.
Putin has dismissed as “nonsense” claims that Russian special forces are fomenting unrest in eastern Ukraine.
This week, Russia began military exercises close to the border with Ukraine, saying the drills are in response to Kiev’s intensified crackdown on pro-Russia protesters in the east and south.
Moscow called on the US to force Kiev to halt its operation in Ukraine’s eastern and southern regions. But, interim authorities in Kiev said they are ready to fight Russia.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on Wednesday accused the US of being behind the Ukraine turmoil and said Moscow would respond if its interests came under attack.
“There is no reason not to believe that the Americans are running the show,” RT television quoted him as saying.
On Wednesday, some 150 US Army troops arrived in Poland, the first of what will be a “persistent presence” of the US military in the country.
The US soldiers from the 173rd Airborne Brigade Combat Team were airlifted from Vicenza, Italy, and dropped in Swidwin, in the northwest of the country.
At least 450 more US troops will be deployed in the next few days in Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania.
On Tuesday, Pentagon press secretary Rear Adm. John Kirby announced that the US will send 600 troops to Poland, Lithuania, Latvia and Estonia over the coming days for joint military exercises.
In an interview with Press TV on Saturday, American political commentator Don DeBar noted that the US is “placing the military resources into the theater for an attack on Russia.” He added that the Russians are apparently being encircled by the US military. (T/E01/IR)
Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)
